‘This is how rugby should be played’: Boston Banshees Dominate in Inaugural Home Match

Boston Banshees forward Yeja Dunn fends off Sam Black of TC Gemini. Photo by Ali Tousignant via alitousiphotos.com.

Quincy, MA– The Boston Banshees triumphed in their first ever game on home soil, taking down the Twin City Gemini in a commanding 36-10 victory. Boston’s newest professional sports team dominated the game in front of a passionate home crowd and set a standard for themselves in the inaugural season of Women’s Elite Rugby.

Going into their home opener at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the Banshees already boasted a winning record. In the first week of WER games, they came from behind to defeat the New York Exiles by two points. The Gemini also earned a win on the league’s first weekend of play, setting up Saturday’s match as an early gauge for league success.

Foundational player Yeja Dunn’s hat trick highlighted a commanding victory for the Banshees, with the loose forward scoring the team’s first try on home soil less than three minutes into the game. Dunn went on to score Boston’s third try at 21 minutes and their sixth early in the second half, recording the second hat trick in WER history. 

The Banshees utilized a carry-heavy strategy fit for the cold and wet conditions and managed to control possession for the majority of the game. Playing firmly on TC’s half of the field, they swarmed and smothered Gemini passes and caused a number of turnovers, preventing the Gemini from mounting any sustained attacks. The Banshees utilized their kicks well and took fewer penalties than they did in their first match of the season against the New York Exiles, though they’ll want to improve further in that area. 

Twin Cities pushed back in the final fifteen minutes of the game. They resisted a maul a meter from their own try line and grabbed hold of that momentum. Thanks to a 70-meter run from Megan Ahnen and a series of strong carries from Gemini captain Alivia Leatherman, the visiting squad recorded two tries in four minutes. Another successful series of lateral passes had them pushing for a third try just past the 80 minute mark. Although they left Massachusetts with no standings points, the Gemini saw impressive performances from Emilee Jalosuo and KJ Johnson.

Boston managed to rotate in most of the roster and saw notable contributions from Catie Benson, Ashley Cowdrey, and foundational signing Emily Henrich. Natalie Armitage played just the first 40 in her WER debut, but she was valuable during that time. Olympian Cheta Emba scored her first WER try and put away two conversion kicks.

“I think we came out really hard and we played the game that we wanted to play,” Banshees center Emma Santosuosso said after the match. “We really focused this week on getting our structure and our shape, and I think we executed that really well this week. And last week we played about 65 minutes of defense, so getting to play some attack was really nice.”

Santosuosso also praised the energy the Boston fans brought to the game. “For me, I’ve never played in front of a crowd this big before… I saw someone with a sign that said this is their first rugby game ever, which is really, really cool. And just hearing people chant, do their wails, and everything is really awesome.”

Although the weather was unfriendly, the fans were anything but. Buoyed by a collegiate tournament earlier in the day, fans and players from rugby schools like Bentley, Bowdoin, and Brown were engaged and vocal as they took in the future of professional rugby. Several fans brought drums, which sounded throughout the match and especially when the Banshees scored. The crowd was on its feet for much of the game.

Fan engagement efforts were notable, from a Banshees t-shirt toss to honoring the NIRA Champions in Harvard’s women’s rugby team on the field at halftime. Team-branded hoodies, hats and shirts were available and very in demand, with a line for merchandise stretching the length of an end zone even while a nearby beer tent stood empty.

Other Boston sports franchises also made appearances at the game. Players from the MLR’s Free Jacks, the PWHL’s Fleet, and the the NWSL’s Legacy FC came out to show their support. Former Fleet goaltender Cami Kronish was on the sidelines to cheer on her sister, Banshees lock Jenny Kronish, who scored Boston’s fifth try:

To anyone who hasn’t yet taken in a Banshees game, Emma Santosuosso offered encouragement:

“Someone came up to me and said this is how rugby should be played. I think people are really excited, we’re playing electric rugby, and I think coming out, and even if you’ve never watched the game before, it’s just really exciting stuff.”

Final score: Boston Banshees 36 – TC Gemini 10

Boston Banshees
Tries: Dunn (2’, 21’, 46’), Vance 16’, Emba 28’, Kronish 35’
Conversions: Emba (21’, 35’)

TC Gemini
Tries: Clawson 70’, Leatherman 73’